Samira Neathler

Congrats to you both and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats Everyone!

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congratulations everyone!

Congrats everyone!

Congrats everyone.

And here's another one. ((Sickbay, Deck 7, USS Gorkon)) When one imagines the first few days serving aboard a Federation Starship, there are a number of expected possibilities. Years worth of mission reports and galactic adverts creating a specific impression. Schemas, the psychologists would call it. Ay expected he’d have time to explore the ship, meet his new colleagues, and familiarise himself with his duties. From there, they’d have simple diplomatic missions, or survey a newly discovered planet, maybe explore the ruins of a lost civilisation. A temporal event ranked low in his expectations for his first few days. A temporal event that flung the ship into an alternate timeline where Starfleet was nothing but dust or an unrealised idea, and the Borg squatting over the known universe like a great cyborg deity…..well, that just seemed so ridiculous that it was barely worth considering. And yet, that was precisely the situation they found themselves in. One ship, against a collective larger than anyone could have ever envisioned. The crew was nervous, unsure of what their future would entail. It was obvious for anyone to see, and really, who could blame them for it. Academy training can only cover so many possibilities. Ay could hide away from the world in his quarters, the equivalent of burying your head in the sand to escape an oncoming sandstorm. Or he could do what he trained for, what he was good at. Practice medicine, assist the crew with ailments major and minor, and do his small part to help get everyone back home. And if needed, replicate a belaklavion or guitar and keep morale up. It was this resolve which kept him going. With that resolve held tight and spread through his body, he stepped through the sliding doors into sickbay, alongside Ensign Solkon, a vulcan who, like himself, had only recently been assigned to the ship's medical staff. The first thing Ay noticed as the doors opened was the Romulan standing on the other side, evidently in the middle of cataloguing something. No Starfleet uniform, or sign of rank. oO A Romulan, a Vulcan, and a Bajoran walking into the doctor's office…..there’s a joke in there somewhere Oo Taeval: Ah, Ensigns Solkon and Nera, I presume? Our new doctors. ::His welcome smile was threadbare, dimmed by circumstance.:: I’m Taeval, I’m a physician’s assistant here. The smile was appreciated, strained as it was. Little things like that made a difference. Solkon: Greetings, Taeval. I am certain we shall work well with one another. Nera: I agree ::offering a wide grin:: Pleased to meet you Ay was aware of the differences between the Vulcan’s and Romulans; one logical and calm, the other passion and fire. Both studious though, and unnervingly intelligent. He suspected he’d enjoy working with them. Taeval: Our acting chief is Lieutenant Tali Namura. ::There was a knowing look in his green eyes, as if there was an inside joke the pair would soon be in on.:: She’s in a meeting with the senior staff, but that should finish soon. Solkon: That is good. I am certain there is much to do, especially given the current situation. I am certain she shall be able to direct us on the best course of action. Now there was an interesting look. There was something there, more to Lieutenant Namura than what Taeval was saying. A curiosity, which would no doubt be solved when the meeting concluded. Nera: Well, I for one am more than happy to get started ::glancing around the sickbay, taking stock of the room:: Taeval took a moment to inspect Ay and Solkon in turn; it was a measuring, seeking look. It reminded Ay of being back home, in the Jolan Facility. It was the type of look he’d come to expect from the monks, like they were weighing you. Taeval: How are you holding up? Our current situation is a lot for anyone to take in. Solkon, in true vulcan form, did not reply immediately, instead approaching a nearby cabinet and picking up a tricorder. He seemed to be formulating his answer, applying the perfect amount of logic to it. Solkon: It has been a…difficult adjustment, I will admit that. But we must not let it dictate our actions, nor let it overwhelm us. We must think and act rationally. I trust that the senior staff will see it the same way. Whatever caused this new timeline to form can be undone. All we have to do :: he put the tricorder back in the closet and closed it before turning back to face Taeval :: is to keep the crew well enough to make that happen. Do either of you have any pre-existing experience with the Borg? Nera: No first hand experience with them, just the same briefings everyone else got at the Academy. Ay walked to a nearby workstation and leant against it, folding his arms across his chest. How was he holding up? He was standing, ready to work, which had to count for something. But there were still so many great unknowns about this. Was Bajor standing defiant, or had it been assimilated. Did it even exist? He took a moment to consider his family, those he thought of as family at least. Prylar Bani, the woman who raised him, the children at the orphanage he’d helped school. His sister Ateh, missing for so many years now. Perhaps in this timeline she wasn’t missing. Perhaps she was out fighting the Borg this very minute. She’d always had the adventurous spirit, Starfleet was her dream. Or perhaps she simply didn’t exist, like so much else. There were a million unanswerable questions, that each lead to even more. Following any one of those mental pathways for too long would drive anyone insane. Nera: It’s a lot to take in. No Starfleet or cavalry coming to the rescue, it’s all on us ::smiling again to present an outward appearance of confidence:: All we can do is perform our duties to the best of our abilities, and keep the crew breathing. Even here, I trust the Prophets are watching. Taeval: Response Pushing off from the workstation Ay made his way to a biobed, running his hand over the fabric. Nera: How are we doing for supplies? Solkon/Taeval: Response Nodding, listening to what was being said, he continued examining the biobed, extending the sensor array then retracting it. Fully functional, as he expected. Biobeds often had their own little quirks he’d found; some smooth, some a little jittery. The more you familiarised yourself with the quirks, the easier the job became. Nera: Are there any pressing medical concerns? Solkon/Taeval: Response Tags/TBC Ensign Nera Ay Medical Officer USS Gorkon G240106NA2

I like how some of our newer Gorkonites give us an insight in their family life. ((Astrometrics, Deck 17, USS Gorkon)) Vesela’s mouth opened and closed like an Elaysian Giant Koi, and she was relieved that Taelon spoke next. She knew her first day would be emotional, but she had no idea that it would also involve getting stuck in a new timeline with Borg. Taelon: You – um, you look better than before, Miss…? Sevo: Lieutenant Commander Ayiana Sevo. Mission Specialist by occupation, scientist by trade. Pace: And I’m Ensign Vesela Pace! Very new here, just graduated, happy to be here despite… everything. She mentally kicked herself. She wished she could stop making poorly timed jokes, but that day would obviously not be today. Although it was always nice to meet other scientists! She was glad Lieutenant Commander Sevo had joined them. Taelon: Ah, Taelon – nice to meet you both. I just transferred, so – this is, um, hopefully not the norm…? Pace: Well, Starfleet is all about exploring, but I agree that I was… not entirely prepared for the mission to take this particular turn. The two younger officers looked to Sevo hopefully. She had been there much longer than both Vesela and Taelon, who had only been there for about a standard Earth day now. It somehow felt like much longer. Sevo: ::She smiled, trying to put the two at ease.:: Well, I won’t lie and tell you this is an isolated incident – it’s not. We’ve had our fair share of galactic emergencies and encounters, but just as many good things, too. Remember, when you put on those uniforms – ::she pointed to the pair:: – you accepted the risks of being in Starfleet. This is one of them. Vesela’s grandmother’s voice rumbled in her mind. Why go to Starfleet and put yourself in harm’s way? Elaysia has stars in the sky just like everywhere else! Keep your head out of the clouds, Vesela. The stars aren’t going anywhere. She looked at her science blue uniform and bit her lip. oO This is why. In Starfleet, differences can be made. People can be helped. Entire timelines can be helped. Oo She had joined Starfleet to study science. Now, she was discovering that it was also to help others with her discoveries and skills. Even though she was scared out of her wits right now, she knew she wasn’t alone. The Gorkon would fix this because that’s what Starfleet does. And she would see her family again. She realized her eyes had gone misty again and shook her head. Pace: S-sorry, I was just thinking about… ::Beat.:: Well, about how we can get out of this, I suppose. Sevo: I know it looks daunting right now; even impossible. How can one ship make a difference and change everything? It’s not the ship; it’s the crew on it. We make the impossible possible. Taelon: I hope you’re right, Commander. Pace: Although, from what I’ve seen so far, there’s no other crew I’d rather be stuck in a Borg-dominated universe with… so there’s that at least. Sevo: ::Ayiana took a sip of her coffee and smiled again.:: You’ve no idea. This crew is my family. You do anything for family. Vesela understood that feeling well. She was glad that this crew seemed to be so tight-knit. Family was incredibly important on Elaysia, which her grandmother had accused her of forsaking. Here… maybe she could find another way to ground herself now that Elaysia was… Sevo: It may look daunting right now, especially if you’re right out of the Academy. ::She nodded to Pace.:: Remind me to tell you about *my* first day on the Victory sometime. Vesela watched Taelon’s eyebrows raise. She had no idea first days in Starfleet were so apparently dangerous! Taelon: It was, um, instructive, I take it? Vesela was always the bluntest of her siblings. She continued to be blunt at Starfleet Academy. Pace: What happened? Sevo: Extragalactic horrors bent on eating everything. Talk about “trial by fire.” Taelon: Extragalactic – ::A pause; he’d been typing as he listened, but now stopped that completely as he tried to imagine. Had he heard of such things? Hard to tell; for all his memory, the ranks of ‘horrors from beyond the stars’ had more creatures in it than he’d prefer (which was none).:: That’s, ah, quite something to face. Pace: That sounds horrifying! ::She paused, wondering whether to ask about the data that they’d gotten from the extragalactic creatures. While cell biology was one of her specialties, cell biology also had a place and a time, which was probably not now. She could scour the database later.:: Well, I’m glad you’re here with us on the Gorkon now, that first day probably helped prepare you for anything! Sevo: The point is, we’ll get through this. We’ll get broken and banged up, but we’ll get back up and try again. Just remember your training, and if you have any questions on anything, feel free to ask around. Taelon: Thank you, Commander. Pace: Thank you, Commander, this has been helpful ::Beat.:: and calming. It’s been nice to decompress a bit. Sevo: Response Taelon went back to work, and Vesela watched for a moment before going back to her station as well. Time to get back to work. The faster they worked, the faster they could find answers hopefully. The green planet still glowed almost malevolently on her screen. She took a few more minutes just to stare at it. As Taelon had said before, these Borg were different from their Borg. This was a brand new timeline, so they had plenty of time and potentially even Commodore Johnson’s help to become something new. Taelon: Mmm. They’ve been here for some time, certainly. Enough to have stripped most of the surface. Look, here — The big display of New Cyndriel zoomed into a spot on the northern hemisphere and they could see the Borg influence on the planet in detail. Vesela almost wished the sensors weren’t as top-of-the-line as they were. Sevo: Response Taelon: If we overlay the planet’s scans from our timeline, you can see — ::He had the computer do so; the contrast was frightening. Where they now knew Borg had littered the surface was a pine forest, a village, a beautiful lake — all now rendered dull and black-brown. The Borg had drained the lake, stripped the trees, and now what was doubtless a drone center sat where the village once had.:: They’ve had plenty of time to get settled in, but haven’t stripped the planet completely. Vesela hadn’t ever thought she would see the Borg’s destructive abilities first hand, but there they were on screen for the three scientists to see. She shuddered at the sight. Pace: That would put the estimate closer to 13 to 15 years then. That they’ve been like this. Sevo / Taelon: Response Vesela stared at the screen a few moments longer, then wondered aloud. Pace: If they were going at the Borg’s normal pace. In this timeline though, it seems as though they’ve had no resistance. Or… ::She paused, hoping that this was wrong. She willed this new universe to prove her wrong.:: resistance stopped early on. Could these Borg be slower now that they seem to be present almost everywhere? Vesela wished that there were signs of life, but at least they might have the element of surprise against the Borg if they weren’t expecting resistance. Sevo / Taelon: Response — Ensign Vesela Pace Science Officer USS Gorkon (NCC-82293) G240106VP4

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats all and welcome to the fleet.

And another great sim, this time from @Lina Dahlquist ((Lina’s Quarters, USS Gorkon)) The two halves of the door closed behind Lina with the usual hissing sound as she arrived in her quarters. She went straight over to her bed, on which she had already neatly folded her uniform ready for her next shift. She had contacted her superiors as soon as she had left the library and had been ordered to report to the security office. But first she had to change out of her civilian clothes into her uniform. When she zipped up her fresh uniform jacket shortly afterwards, she noticed that a small signal lit up on her personal computer, indicating that she had received a message. Astonished, she walked over to her small desk. Who could have contacted her? Perhaps it was a positive message. She could have really used one of those, even if she was now better able to hide her sadness about the situation. Now that she had completely closed her jacket, she activated her computer and froze. It was a message from her mother, with whom she had only recently re-established contact. However, a glance at the time index told her that the message had arrived shortly before Johnson's time jump. Lina stared at the message like a mouse at a snake in front of her. She stretched out her index finger to play the message, but hesitated briefly before doing so and withdrew her finger again. A deep breath followed as she tried to calm her rapidly pounding heart. She had tried not to let this situation get too close to her. She had succeeded with her father. Although she didn't exactly begrudge him being a Borg drone in this timeline either, she didn't care, at least to some extent - which frankly also scared her a little. But it was different with her mother. Could she bear to look at a message from her mum who she didn't know how she was doing in this timeline? Whether she was well or whether she was perhaps somewhere as a Borg drone.... oO No! Oo Lina tried not to even allow the idea of it. But it was hopeless. Once you've had a thought like that, you couldn't erase the image from your mind. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and clenched her hand into a fist, which she hit lightly on her desk several times. It was a mixture of sadness, despair and incredible anger at Commodore Johnson, who had not only betrayed Starfleet and the Federation, but had also committed an unprecedented crime by changing the timeline the way he had done. Right now, since she didn't know anything more precise yet, she could still hope. Hoping that the Borg hadn't destroyed everything. Hoping that the Federation and other Starfleet ships still existed and that they were still putting up resistance somewhere. Hoping that her mother was still around in this time-line. And, of course, hoping that they could undo all this - make it right again. She closed her eyes and saw the picture of her mother by her little childhood bed. She had pulled her blanket up under her chin and her mum was giving her a kiss. The words of her mum echoed in her mind. "Everything will be all right." Yes, everything was going to be all right. Now she said these comforting words from her mother to the still unplayed message. "Everything will be all right, Mum. We'll take care of it." Without playing the message, Lina ended the session on her computer and made her way to Commander Aegam's office. --- Ensign Lina Dahlquist Sec/Tac Officer USS Gorkon D239009VD0

That's @Jo Marshall's invention, not mine. 😁

((Chief Science Officer’s Office, Deck 17, USS Gorkon)) ((One Day After)) She had avoided her quarters for as long as she possibly could. There was plenty of work to be done. She had combed through Johnson’s file, and then again, and again. Learned all she could about the technology at his disposal. Separated projects that might help them survive this new timeline, and ones that might have to be put on hold to help the Gorkon survive. Hopefully, this would all be fixed soon. But…they really couldn’t know that, and she wanted to be prepared for the worst. She checked in on her friends aboard the ship, and the crew in her department. How are you managing, do you need a moment or an assignment to focus on, how’s your support network, do you want to talk, have you seen a counselor yet, here, have a biscuit. We are going to fix this. If she stopped working, stopped helping everyone else, she would start feeling. Rok’s meals were set to replicate automatically, so she’d managed to stay busy and away from her quarters for nearly a full day. When she awoke slumped over her desk, shoulder stiff and aching from an unexpected nap, she finally conceded, and made the dreaded march up to deck two. ((Tahna’s Quarters, Deck 2, USS Gorkon)) Rok brushed up against her leg as soon as she entered her quarters, purring softly. The tortoiseshell feline fluffed her feathers and stared at Meru with her one good eye. Tahna: I know, I know, I’m sorry. She scooped the cat up, gently scratching between her wings, just where the cat liked it. Rok rubbed her head against the Bajoran’s chin. Tahna: There, tesha tah. I know I’ve been gone too long. Really, the cat was as introverted as Meru herself, and set up to be alone for much longer if needed. That didn’t stop the scientist from feeling guilty. As tempting as it was to fix another raktajino, take the cat with her back to her office, and keep working, Meru reasoned she was no good to anyone (especially in such a dangerous universe) if she didn’t at least try to sleep. So she gave Rok an apology treat, one she’d bought way back on Andoria (hell, Andoria…), and headed through the arch to her bedroom, rolling her sore shoulder. At least her bed would be more comfortable than her office desk. At least… Her eye caught on her desk, and she froze. Her father’s painting hung there, her family home and kava fields vibrant and alive. They were all gone now, razed, maybe turned into a Borg stronghold. Had Bajor even existed without occupation for a little while? A holophoto of her and Ena on holiday adorned the desk, but she could barely look at it, or the photos of her family. Had Ena, Ren, Tara, had they ever existed? Was it better if they hadn’t? Her uncle, her parents…she knew how hard they’d fought to be free on Bajor, she knew what they’d sacrificed, how they’d suffered. And now she closed her eyes and saw them all, everyone she’d left behind. Everyone she’d failed. Dead, or covered in cybernetics. Or both. And that was just the people she knew and loved. There were trillions of people out there, gone, because one tiny ship had failed to stop another. Maybe if she’d worked faster, been better…maybe… She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream, and rage, and cry, and curse the universe and the Prophets and herself. She wanted…she wanted… Her knees buckled and she hit the floor, hands clasped over her mouth, helpless to stop the silent sobs wracking her body, the pain in her chest, the nausea. She’d always imagined the worst thing that could come of being in Starfleet was some horrible death for herself. Oh, how wrong she’d been. How naive. Rok brushed up against her side, the tiniest little lantern in the darkness. Meru gathered the cat into her arms and, finally, let herself mourn. -- Lt. Commander Tahna Meru Chief Science Officer USS Gorkon (NCC-82293) G239801TM4

Well done both, congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats and welcome (back) to the fleet.

Well done, congrats and welcome to the fleet. 😄

Congrats and welcome to the fleet.

Congrats, well done and welcome to the fleet.

@Lina Dahlquist she worked for that drink. 😁